Chapter 3: The Ancient Capital of a Thousand Years

Zhao Chuxi, whose heart was tumultuous and uncertain, did not hear clearly what Xiao Wang said. Apart from the words "Jiang Kaishan" and "Chengdu Military Region," everything else was vague. His mind was preoccupied with whether the Hui man was dead or alive. If he was dead, how would Xiao Wang handle it? Would Old Wang tell the village chief, and what would she think if she found out? Old Wang and his son were ordinary people; if Xiao Wang had to take the blame, what would happen? He was afraid that he would ruin Xiao Wang's life. As a college student, Xiao Wang had a bright future ahead of him, a life that would be more colorful than his own. He would take the postgraduate entrance exam, find a job, get married, and have children. Unfortunately, all of this might no longer be possible for him.

A single thought could lead to two different worlds, and from then on, there would be no connection...

These thoughts filled Zhao Chuxi's mind, making him feel extremely regretful and guilty. He wanted to jump out of the car and turn himself in, but thinking of the fate of the twenty-odd children in the mountains, he weighed the pros and cons and ultimately gave in. He almost went crazy, punching his chest twice, regretting his impulsiveness that led to such a disaster. Zhao Chuxi clenched his fists and, with red eyes, told himself, "Zhao Chuxi, you must make something of yourself, or you will not be able to face her, Xiao Wang, the old monk, that man, and the vow you made at Xiao Ping's grave."

Throughout, the only thing that puzzled Zhao Chuxi was the determined look and stern demeanor Xiao Wang had when he said he could handle everything. Zhao Chuxi had to console himself, perhaps he really could handle it?

Thus, Zhao Chuxi, with such a complex mindset, sat in the large truck, heading east in the darkness. The truck was loaded with a full load of watermelons, and Zhao Chuxi, with his head resting on his woven bag, lay on the watermelons. The bumpy ride made his whole body ache, and he was afraid of being discovered by the truck driver, so he did not dare to get up to see which direction the truck was heading. In fact, he could see nothing because it was pitch black outside. Due to his high level of tension earlier, Zhao Chuxi fell into a deep sleep without realizing it. When he woke up again, the night and stars had disappeared, replaced by a large sun and a gray sky, and a noisy environment. This time, Zhao Chuxi still did not know how long he had slept, and this sense of powerlessness made him very frustrated. He was not used to being unable to control his situation, as if his fate and future were drifting aimlessly, and at any moment, everything could be lost. Zhao Chuxi knew he could not afford to lose and warned himself that he must not put himself in a dead end again, as not everyone could be like Xiao Wang.

You cannot afford to lose, and you must not lose.

Zhao Chuxi did not know that he had slept for ten hours, and the truck loaded with watermelons was about to reach its destination.

The ancient capital of a thousand years, Xi'an.

Just as Zhao Chuxi was lost in thought and regret, the truck finally stopped. Zhao Chuxi secretly observed the surroundings and found that this seemed to be a freight transfer station similar to the one last night. In fact, it was the back door of a logistics warehouse for a vegetable and fruit wholesale market, where other trucks were also waiting to enter the market to unload their cargo. After thinking for a few seconds, Zhao Chuxi decided to quickly leave. Regardless of which city this was, it would be his first starting point after leaving the mountains.

After looking around to ensure no one was paying attention, Zhao Chuxi quickly got off the truck with his woven bag and hurriedly walked out of the warehouse's back door. Only then did he dare to look up, and what he saw were the surrounding high-rise buildings and the sign "Xi'an Hujiemiao Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market."

"Thousand-year capital, prosperous Chang'an, Xi'an?" Zhao Chuxi muttered to himself, looking bewildered. He never thought he would end up in this city, which the old monk often mumbled about before he died.

When you arrive in a strange city, with no relatives or friends and no place to stay, the feeling of helplessness is like being abandoned by the world. This was especially true for Zhao Chuxi, who had arrived in a city by chance while fleeing. It was as if God had rolled a dice and told him, "Hey, buddy, you're going here."

No matter how strong Zhao Chuxi's heart was, reality could still shake him. At this moment, he was lost and aimlessly walked for two bus stops. At a taxi stand, he finally stopped in front of a large city map of Xi'an. Knowing he was near Hujiemiao, he immediately focused on the map to find Hujiemiao and determine his location in Xi'an. He also decided to buy a city map of Xi'an, as familiarizing himself with it would greatly help him establish himself in the city.

Passersby occasionally glanced at Zhao Chuxi, but to them, there were too many homeless people like him in the city. After a few minutes, Zhao Chuxi finally found Hujiemiao near the Second Ring Road to the east and determined his position.

Satisfied, Zhao Chuxi walked to a small store and asked the owner in broken Mandarin if they had a city map of Xi'an. With his messy hair, ragged clothes, and woven bag, Zhao Chuxi indeed looked like a homeless person. The store owner was an old man in his fifties who seemed surprised and stared at Zhao Chuxi for a few seconds with a sympathetic look. He then turned around, took out a city map of Xi'an, and handed it to Zhao Chuxi, asking in a dialect, "Young man, are you new to Xi'an?"

Zhao Chuxi smiled and nodded.

The old man chuckled and replied, "No matter what you look like now, and no matter how others see you, as long as you work hard, this city will give you a place to stay. As the saying goes, heaven will not let down those who work hard. This map is a gift for you."

God always gives you a simple yet touching moment, making you believe in life. Zhao Chuxi took the map, squatted down, opened his woven bag, and after a few seconds, took out ten yuan and placed it on the old man's table, saying comfortably, "Thank you."

After saying this, Zhao Chuxi picked up his woven bag and left without looking back. Ten yuan was a significant amount for him, but his dignity was priceless. Zhao Chuxi would no longer easily accept charity, especially when he had the ability to buy a map.

The old man was surprised, shaking his head and nodding, and called out, "Young man, if you're looking for work, go to the overpass ahead."

The old man's words caught Zhao Chuxi's attention. He needed to find a job and a place to stay. Although he did not know what an overpass was, he was still a naive country boy in the eyes of city dwellers. However, those men who had just left the mountains and the countryside all started from this moment, and when they eventually succeeded, who would care about their past struggles?

Zhao Chuxi walked for ten minutes and finally reached the overpass the old man mentioned. There were about hundreds of people, mostly migrant workers like him, waiting for work. They carried their luggage and tools, dressed simply and raggedly, and gathered in groups, chatting and waiting for foremen and labor brokers to come. When a foreman or broker arrived, a group of people would rush over. Zhao Chuxi was different; he simply put down his woven bag and sat next to a middle-aged man in his forties, politely offering him a cigarette and asking, "Brother, what kind of work is available here?"

The middle-aged man was not wary of Zhao Chuxi and took the cigarette, smelling it and replied, "Are you new here? There are all kinds of jobs here, but it depends on what you can do. There are jobs like fixing sewers, unclogging toilets, and doing odd jobs. If a boss comes looking for a painter and you can't paint, you can't do it. So, it depends on what you can do."

Zhao Chuxi lit the cigarette for the middle-aged man but did not smoke himself, smiling, "That's true, that's true. No wonder there are people with all kinds of tools here."

"Kid, what do you do?" The middle-aged man took a satisfying puff of the cigarette and asked.

Zhao Chuxi answered honestly, "I just arrived in Xi'an today and don't know how to do anything. I'm looking for a job."

Perhaps the cigarette made the man feel closer, and he looked at Zhao Chuxi for a moment before saying, "For a strong young man like you, if you don't know how to do anything, it's better to work as a laborer on a construction site. It's tiring, but the pay is not bad. You can earn two to three thousand a month at the beginning, and when you get more skilled, you can earn four to five thousand, more than college graduates."

Zhao Chuxi was surprised to hear that a laborer could earn so much and his eyes lit up, "Brother, do you know where I can find a job as a laborer?"

The middle-aged man laughed, "You've come to the right person. I happen to know a foreman who is looking for laborers these days. I'll ask him if he needs more people. If he does, you can go there. He's from my hometown, and I'll ask him to take care of you. He doesn't need skilled workers, or I would go there myself. Being a laborer is too tiring. I could do it when I was young, but I can't now."

"Thanks, brother," Zhao Chuxi said, handing the remaining half pack of cigarettes to the middle-aged man, who accepted it without hesitation.

Thus, Zhao Chuxi, introduced by the middle-aged man, arrived at a construction site outside the South Gate of the city wall. On the way, Zhao Chuxi saw the city wall for the first time, staring at it without blinking. In Phoenix Village, the old monk and Li Qingyi had told him about the well-preserved Xi'an city wall and encouraged him to see it in his lifetime. Zhao Chuxi never thought he would see the majestic city wall so soon after leaving the mountains.

The imposing city wall reminded one of the city's former glory. The foreman who picked up Zhao Chuxi in a small van was from a neighboring city and offered him a salary of over 2,000 yuan. Without hesitation, Zhao Chuxi accepted it. For him, the most urgent thing was to find a place to stay. The construction site provided food and accommodation, and the 2,000 yuan salary was already satisfactory, even though he did not know that laborers like him could earn over 3,000 yuan.

The foreman, called Brother Wang, was short, thin, and sleazy. He hardly spoke to Zhao Chuxi on the way, as he had seen too many migrant workers like him. He looked at Zhao Chuxi, who was staring out the window, with a slight disdain, seemingly forgetting that he had once been the same. People tend to forget. Zhao Chuxi, however, wanted to understand the city where he might struggle for the rest of his life. He wanted to remember the city as it looked now and how it would look decades later, and to remember his current state of poverty.

When they arrived at the construction site, it was already dusk. What attracted both Zhao Chuxi and Brother Wang were two luxury cars parked on the site, looking grand and beautiful. Zhao Chuxi could not recognize the cars but felt they were luxurious. Brother Wang led Zhao Chuxi out of the car and said, "Don't look anymore. It's an Audi A8L, worth one to two million. You won't be able to afford it in your lifetime."

Zhao Chuxi smiled wryly and did not argue. Was he going to tell Brother Wang, "How do you know I can't afford it? When I have money, I'll drive one and tow another."

Brother Wang took Zhao Chuxi directly to the living quarters. Before entering, they smelled a foul and moldy odor. Zhao Chuxi frowned, and when he went inside, he found a scene that could be compared to a pigsty in Phoenix Village. The small room had two rows of bunk beds, enough to accommodate about forty people. Clothes, socks, garbage, and bedding were scattered everywhere, and Zhao Chuxi was momentarily stunned.

Brother Wang said nonchalantly, "When you're away from home, you have to make do."

Zhao Chuxi nodded happily, feeling satisfied to have a place to stay. How could he complain?

Before Zhao Chuxi could familiarize himself with the construction site, Brother Wang called him to have dinner. The dining area was already crowded with dozens of workers, squatting and eating without looking up. Zhao Chuxi's appearance did not disturb them. In a construction site with hundreds of workers, no one would notice your existence. This was reality.

Without utensils, Zhao Chuxi took a few steamed buns back to the pigsty entrance. The smell inside was so bad that it could make ordinary people vomit, but Zhao Chuxi, who was starving, ate with relish. After finishing the buns, he looked at the pigsty and then at the two million-yuan Audi A8Ls.

Zhao Chuxi was extremely calm. The old monk often mumbled a phrase, didn't he?

The poorest can only beg, but as long as you don't die, you will eventually succeed...

(Where are the red tickets and favorites?)

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